Stories from the Arctic: Sparklers and bonfires

On our last night, we went to the lake and lit some sparklers

"Lights of the North, come forth!"
"Okay, they're not here."

One of our many, many bonfires.

Stories from the Arctic: The Northern Lights

Overlooking Abisko and Torneträsk lake with no tripod, and numb & trembling fingers
For reference, the black figure in the middle is a person.

They say the best place to see the Northern Lights is at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, between 8pm and midnight. So, we bundled up like crazy and took the 20 minute, uncovered (!) wooden chair lift up the mountain to see them.

Unfortunately, the promisingly clear day turned into a foggy night, and our best bet was to climb up the mountain, past the sky station. Feeling like pioneers, we were guided by sheer will and the glow of the moon, making fresh tracks as our feet sunk well into the snow. No one had decided to hike up yet, so we were alone and it was amazing.

But as the Rolling Stones liked to say "You can't get what you want, but you get what you need."

We never did get to see the Northern lights this night, or any other night, but I like to think luck was still on our side.

Because on the peak of a snow covered mountain, we laid down and watched the moon and stars pierce through the darkness of the night. And in the stillness, we had only cookies, rum, and our thoughts for company. We ate, we drank, we dreamed.

Stories from the Arctic: The Sauna

The sauna sat at the edge of Torneträsk Lake

There was only one item on my Swedish Bucket List, and it was this one.

The traditional wood heated sauna was about 15 minutes from our cabin and we had to hike it in the dark wearing our swimsuits under full snow gear. We went back twice and both times we made the trek we found no fires burning, and the sauna almost pitch black. We had to re-start the fire and wait an impossibly long time for it to heat up again.

Then we ran into the lake at 4 in the morning, in -15 degree weather, and wind so cold I thought my skin would peel.

Flushed with adrenaline and our skin whipped by the blistering, arctic wind, we scrambled back to the sauna, laughing and catching our breath. What a rush, what a feeling!

Running barefoot in the snow made my toes feel like they were going to break off. At one point I even slipped and slid down part of the hill. And boy, getting back into the sauna is like heaven.